


No Longer

by Blueskylover



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Angst, Canon Divergence, During Canon, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-14 06:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16487609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueskylover/pseuds/Blueskylover
Summary: “The next time you wake up, ‘Ash Lynx’ will no longer exist.”When Ash opens his eyes, he finds himself thrown into an alternate reality, one where he is known solely as Aslan Callenreese.





	1. Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an idea that I have had in my head for a while - this story takes place during episode 15 of the anime. Hope you enjoy! :)

_Screw this facility for experimenting on Shorter! And what was the fuck was that about mind control?_ Ash’s mind was still reeling at the sight of his best friend’s brain shoved in a test tube by these crazy scientists.  
  
“That is where you come in, Ash,” the head researcher smirked at him, “your brain will be the perfect sample."  
  
Before he could form an insult, there were two sets of hands on his body, attempting to restrain him.   
  
“Let go,” he yelled as he struggled against the men’s iron grip, flinching when he felt a needle jab into his arm. His vision was quickly turning black, and his body became heavy. As he felt himself falling to the floor, Ash could make out a voice before passing out.   
  
“The next time you wake up, ‘Ash Lynx’ will no longer exist."  
  
***  
  
Ash gasped as his eyes flew open. The room was dark and seemingly unfamiliar. As he shifted, he felt a weight on his side. He squinted at the familiar head of messy brown hair; it was definitely Eiji who was pressed against him. The other boy seemed to be still asleep, his head resting in the crook between Ash's head and shoulder.   
  
As much as he wanted this moment never to end, he had to find out what was going on. He was just at that institution, how did he end up here?   
  
“Eiji,” Ash shook the brunette’s shoulders. Eiji’s eyelashes fluttered, but he sleepily nuzzled his face into his shoulder.   
  
“Eiji, wake up,” he lightly pushed the other boy.   
  
“Mm five minutes more,” the brunette mumbled as he adjusted his grip on Ash’s shirt.  
  
The blond grumbled, he would just have to find things out himself. After gently tugging Eiji’s hand off, he slipped out of his hold and sat at the edge of the bed. Away from the sheets, the temperature felt like it dropped significantly. He shivered, it was definitely cold outside, and he was only wearing a thin shirt and boxers. What was happening?  
  
Eiji opened his eyes and looked up at him through dark lashes. Ash’s chest ached, every fiber of his being wanted to go back to him.  
  
“Where are we?” he whispered. The brunette looked at him strangely and rubbed his eyes.   
  
“Your room.”   
  
“My room..?”   
  
“Yes,” he yawned, “come back to sleep, Aslan.”   
  
Ash flinched. _How did Eiji know his real name?_    
  
“How do you know that name,” he turned to look the other boy in his brown eyes.   
  
“I do not understand... is this a game-"   
  
“Answer the question,” he snapped.  
  
“I-um you told me when I met you? Is that not what you do when you meet someone new,” Eiji looked genuinely confused.   
  
Ash put his head in his hands. This must be a dream, and he would just go rinse his face and wake up. The bed creaked as he stood up, it sounded eerily similar to the noise his old mattress would make in Cape Cod.   
  
_Wait_  
  
He took a good look around the room and had to hold back a scream. _It was his room in Cape Cod._    
  
The old beat up dresser was in the same spot and the desk with the peeling paint was still in the corner. The bookshelf he and his brother built was still standing. Even though all the furniture was in the same spot, the room was packed with other items. Pictures and posters covered the walls and books were overflowing from the shelf onto the floor.   
  
He ran into the bathroom and quickly shut the door behind him. Even this room looked the same. It was the same shitty blue shower curtain and crappy rusting sink with the cracked handles. With shaky legs, he looked at himself in the dirty mirror. His hair was definitely shorter than before, and he had dark blue studs in his ears. He flushed as he noticed the love marks on his neck.   
  
“A dream,” he said to himself as he turned on the faucet. Rinsing his face with cold water didn’t seem to help. He looked at the counter to see not only one but two toothbrushes. Not any toothbrush, it was the same as Eiji’s at the apartment.   
  
“Oh god,” he felt a wave of nausea. Shutting his eyes tightly and opening them also did not work. After taking a few breaths he opened the door to the bedroom, to find Eiji had fallen back asleep.  
  
As he opened the dresser drawer, he grimaced as damn thing squeaked like it did all those years ago. He rummaged through the clothes but found nothing but sweaters and khakis. Where the hell were his jeans and shirts? After looking over at Eiji to make sure he was still asleep, he quickly changed into a shirt with a high collar and some dumb khaki pants.   
  
Hearing someone make noise down the hall, he quickly headed to the bedside table to search for his gun. Rummaging through the drawer, he only found some condoms, his glasses, a small bottle of lube, and a few polaroid pictures of him and Eiji. Turning the one image over, he saw the brunette’s messy handwriting on the back.    
  
_Happy Birthday, Aslan! Love you!_  
  
The nauseous feeling was quickly coming back as he shoved the small picture in his pocket. This was not the time for this if he didn’t hurry up and find some kind of weapon they would end up dead. He felt behind the table and took out the drawer to see nothing. The noises were getting louder, and he was starting to become frustrated. Taking another look around the room, he saw a baseball bat lying on the floor.   
  
_This will have to do_ , he thought to himself as he grabbed the wooden handle and slipped out into the hallway. The house was still mostly dark; Ash estimated it was around 4 or 5 in the morning, so the sun would be rising soon. Creeping down the hall, he noticed the kitchen light was on. He peeked around the corner to see a man’s back standing over the stove.   
  
He gripped onto the handle of wooden bat and stayed as still as possible, waiting to see the intruder’s face. The man didn’t act like one of Goldzine’s underlings. He was humming to himself, and his messy blond hair made it seem like he just rolled out of bed.   
  
Ash froze as the man turned and revealed his face. It's Griffin. His brother was standing right in the kitchen, making eggs just like he used to. Ash's grip on the bat loosened and it fell to the floor, making a noise that startled his brother.   
  
“Aslan you are up early. You scared me,” he laughed.   
  
“W-who the fuck are you,” Ash could feel himself start to shake. This was beyond fucked up, who would impersonate his brother like this?  
  
“I think it’s a little too early for your philosophical questions, let me at least eat some eggs first.”  
  
“You aren’t Griffin... you can’t be.”   
  
The man chuckled, “okay I give. I guess I have to prove myself, right?”  
  
His throat felt too dry to even respond. The way this man even spoke reminded him of Griffin.   
  
“So, if I wasn’t your brother how do I know that you like your eggs scrambled with a bit of cream or you complain they are too dry,” he grinned.   
  
“Bullshit!” Ash yelled, "I bet Goldzine told you to say that.”  
  
“Goldzine? Who is that.. oh I know is this an assignment for that philosophy class?”  
  
“You got injected with Banana Fish in Iraq, when I found you at that hospital you couldn’t even speak,” his voice was starting to crack.     
  
“Banana..? Oh, Aslan, you had another one of those dreams, didn’t you.”   
  
Before he had time to retort, the man was pulling him into a hug. He even smelled like Griffin. Ash could feel tears in his eyes as he feebly tried to push him away.   
  
“Y-you are dead.”  
  
“No, I’m not, I’m right here,” he hugged him tighter and ran a hand through his hair.   
  
Ash thought back on all the times he longed to hear his brother respond to his voice or to see him one last time, and somehow Griffin was here. He couldn’t help but sob into his shoulder, just like he did all those years ago when Grif told him he had to leave for Iraq.   
  
***   
  
“Here you go, one special for my favorite brother,” Griffin smiled as he put the plate of scrambled eggs on the dusty, old table.  
  
“So you have other half brothers I don’t know about,” Ash laughed as he took a bite of the eggs. They tasted just like they used to, like the cheap cream Griff would buy for him.   
  
“Even if I did, you would still be my favorite,” the cheap wooden chair squeaked as he pulled it out and sat down.   
  
“Hey, Griff.. so I’m dead, right?”   
  
Griffin frowned, “you look very much alive to me. Or is this another one of those philosophy questions asking if are we ever truly alive, which I would once again say yes to.”   
  
Ash’s mind wandered to Eiji. Was he still in his room, or was that a dream world separate from the one he was currently in?  
  
“Aslan Jade Callenreese do not tell me that Eiji is in your room right now,” Griffin’s tone quickly turned accusatory.   
  
“Uh,” he stammered, not realizing he was thinking aloud.   
  
Griffin pinched the bridge of his nose. “God, Aslan you’ve been seeing this boy for over a year now yet you insist on sneaking him in through the window? I think he deserves to be let in through the front door for christ sake.”   
  
“I-“   
  
“I’ve told you a million times that I will love you no matter what,” his brother’s gaze softened as he put his hand on his. “Plus I think he is good for you. You always seem to be happy and carefree when you are with him.”   
  
Feeling warm inside, Ash grinned, hearing his brother say he liked Eiji just felt _right_.  
  
“Just uh,” he gestured to the marks along his brother's neck, “be safe."   
   
“Ugh, Griffin,” Ash groaned.  
  
“Um.. good morning. Am I interrupting?” Both brothers turned to see the Japanese boy stood sheepishly in the hallway. The sweater he was wearing was slipping off his shoulder, and Ash recognized it as one from the dresser drawer he was looking through earlier.   
  
“Good morning, Eiji, you aren’t interrupting at all,” Griffin went over and hugged him. “Want me to try and make you that Japanese omelet?”   
  
“Yes! Griffin that would be amazing,” Eiji beamed.   
  
“Good morning, Aslan,” the brunette walked over to kiss his cheek before sitting down at the table.   
  
“G’morning,” he could feel a smile start to spread across his face.   
  
“I brought your phone; it would not stop buzzing.” Eiji set a smartphone on the table and slid it towards him. “I think it may be Shorter, he hates when you forget to respond.”  
  
_Shorter?_  
  
“Is everything alright, you were acting strangely earlier,” he felt the brunette gently touch his arm.  
  
“Here you go Eiji, I hope it is satisfactory,” Griffin chuckled as he set the plate down, “Aslan you have barely touched yours.”   
  
“Sorry Griff,” he ate his breakfast, keeping his eyes on his phone.   
  
“You are closer this time, Griffin; the rice needs to be warmer.”  
  
“Argh, I knew it.”   
  
“Do not worry it is still good! You can try again next time,” Eiji smiled the older Callenreese before he took another bite.   
  
“You are too easy on me, Eiji-”   
  
Ash tuned out their conversation as he turned his attention to the phone. After turning on the device, he quickly saw his wallpaper, a picture of him and Eiji, before the screen flooded with messages. He paled when he saw most recent one.  
  
_Whatever I’ll just tell you in person, I will be over soon._  
  
“Oh god,” Ash mumbled, the nauseous feeling was coming back quickly. The last time he saw Shorter, it was his disembodied brain in that lab. He had to put a hand on his mouth to try and keep his breakfast down.   
  
Both Eiji and Griffin had stopped their conversation and were looking at him with concern.   
  
The knock on the door reverberated around quiet the kitchen. “It’s open,” Griffin called out.   
  
“Yo, how is everyone?” Shorter waved to the three of them.   
  
“Shorter! What a surprise, do you want some eggs?”   
  
“Griffin, have I ever told you that I always thought you were the better brother,” he teased as he sat down at the table.   
  
His brother just laughed and walked over to the stove to make more eggs.   
  
“Aslan, what’s up, man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”   
  
“Something like that,” Ash managed to choke out as he looked over to his friend. It definitely looked like Shorter sitting next to him. A sudden sharp pain ripped through his head. His mind starting showing him sequences of Shorter begging for him to end his life flashing to Shorter’s lifeless corpse falling on top of Eiji, the things that usually haunted him ever since that night. He held his head in his hands and begged for it to stop.   
  
“Aslan!” both Eiji and Shorter were quickly at his side.  
  
“Shorter, how are you alive,” he couldn’t stop the hot tears from rolling down his cheeks.   
  
“I shot you, Shorter! You were going to kill Eiji then turn on yourself if I didn’t stop you,” the blond yelled.  
  
“Aslan.. it was only a dream,” Eiji leaned down to gently wipe his tears, “Shorter is right here, and I am perfectly fine.”   
  
“Yeah, man, I’m right here,” Shorter squeezed his shoulder.   
  
It was quickly becoming difficult to breathe. _This is a sick dream_ , Ash shook his head.   
  
“Get away from me,” the blond sobbed as pushed them both away. Throwing his chair to the side, he ran out the front door. He kept sprinting, even when he could hear the three of them calling his name. Ash continued to run until he was gasping for breath.   
  
He ended up by the shore. Walking over to the sand, he sat down and brought his knees to his chest. Thoughts swirled around his mind. _What is happening? Why is this happening? Am I dead or is this just a dream?_  
  
“Did they inject me with Banana Fish,” he mumbled as he drew patterns in the sand with his finger.  
  
“Found you,” Eiji yelled as he ran down the beach, “did you think you could outrun a track team member?”   
  
“This is all a dream, right?”   
  
“No,” Eiji sat down next to him, “I am real, and so is Shorter.”  
  
“Did they get me, those scientists,” he looked over to the other boy.  
  
“All of that strange stuff you say, that is the dream,” Eiji smiled sadly as he pulled the blond into a hug. “You are right here with me. You are safe here.”   
  
Ash felt like he was melting into Eiji’s touch. He wished they could stay like this forever. The soft sand getting blown away in the breeze as the waves lapped against the shore.  
  
“Ah, can we go back now?” Eiji's stomach started to growl, "I never finished the omelet.”   
  
The blond couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay sure.”  
  
***   
  
"Aslan you scared us," Griff called to him as soon as he came into the doorway and quickly pulled him into a tight hug.   
  
"Yeah, man, me too," Shorter laughed as he joined in on the hug.   
  
"Big hugs," Eiji beamed before he jumped into the hug pile.   
  
It was an odd sensation, Ash thought, being hugged by every person he loved all at once. He felt warm, happy, and best of all he felt safe.   
  
When they all broke apart, they all sat around the tiny table. Griffin brought over a few mugs and filled them with coffee then handed Eiji some sugar.   
  
"Thank you," the brunette smiled as he tossed the sugar cubes into the cup.   
  
Griffin laughed, "Max called and said he needed help with an article, so I'm going to be heading out soon. Will you all be okay with me?"   
  
"Don't worry Griffin, we were thinking about heading to the park. I think Aslan needs to get some fresh air to clear his head," Shorter winked after taking a sip of coffee.   
  
"Great idea, Shorter, fresh air is always good," Eiji nodded as he threaded his fingers through Ash's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr is [ queensgrove ](http://queensgrove.tumblr.com/) if anyone wants to fangirl about Banana Fish with me!! :D


	2. Part Two

After they waited for Eiji put on a few more layers of clothing and grab his film camera from his bag, the three of them headed out of the house.   
  
Ash grimaced, Shorter _still_ had that death trap of a car. Not to mention he was a horrible driver. "No way in hell am I getting in that again," he crossed his arms.   
  
"Aw Aslan, don't say that about my baby." Shorter put his hand on the hood of the old car, "don't worry he didn't mean it."   
  
"It's a damn car stop talking to it."   
  
“Well, what do you propose we do, Mr. High IQ. The three of us won't fit on your bike."   
  
"Let Shorter drive us, Aslan," Eiji grabbed his arm and looked up at him with those big brown eyes.   
  
Ash groaned, he already knew he was outnumbered. "Fine," he muttered.  
  
“Thanks, Eiji," Shorter winked at the brunette, "for that you get to sit in the front."   
  
“Yippee," Eiji grinned as he high-fived Shorter then jumped into the passenger seat.   
  
Ash reluctantly got into the back seat of the car and sighed as he tried to buckle the seatbelt. He had lost count of how many times he nearly died because of Shorter's terrible driving.   
  
He barely got his seatbelt secure before his friend stepped on the gas and the car jolted forward. Eiji was actually _giggling_  as the vehicle quickly gained speed, while Ash, on the other hand, was gripping onto the plastic safety handle on the door for dear life.   
  
As Shorter sped around a corner, the force caused everyone in the car to jerk to the side and also produced a non-reassuring popping noise to come from the back of the vehicle. Ash paled as he saw the safety bar was in his hand and no longer attached to the door.   
  
“This is so fun,” Eiji laughed, light and carefree, as if he wasn’t in a metal deathtrap with the worst driver on the east coast.   
  
“Shorter, your damn door handle came off when you rounded that corner.”  
  
“Oh shoot man, don’t worry I’ll just glue it back on again later.”   
  
_Glue it again?_  
  
He didn’t have to much time to dwell on it before Shorter drove right through a stop sign, causing a nearby car to swerve out of the way and another to slam on its breaks and blast the horn.   
  
“You know that you have to stop at stop signs, right?”   
  
“Aw Aslan don’t be a stickler, those things are just guidelines anyway," he chuckled, "and stop all this worrying we are nearly there.”   
  
When they finally arrived, Ash stepped out of the car on shaky legs. He leaned against the door to try and calm his breathing.   
  
"That was so fun, it was like a ride at Disney World," Eiji beamed.   
  
“Yeah, something like that,” the blond sighed and turned to look over at the park.  
  
It was tiny, and the parking lot was even smaller, the faded asphalt peeling in spots from the tree roots. From the car park, you could see the entire area, which looked almost identical to how it did years ago.   
  
The few rows of tall trees still surrounded the crumbling, old fountain; the orange leaves being pulled away by the breeze. Next to the fountain was the rusty playground Griffin used to bring him to when he was a child and beside that was an empty grassy area they used to occasionally picnic in. A few people were gathered around a small stand selling refreshments.  
  
A chilling gust of wind blew past them, making Ash adjust his scarf, pulling it closer to his face. He turned to say something to Eiji to find the Japanese boy was no longer standing next to him.   
  
“He ran off to take pictures,” Shorter sighed fondly as he locked his car.   
  
Ash looked over to see Eiji already over by the fountain, happily snapping pictures on his camera.  
  
“It’s pretty cold today; I think I’ll go get us some hot chocolate or something.”  
  
“Yeah,” he breathed, enchanted by the sight of the Japanese boy crouching to take a photo, laughing as a leaf hit his cheek.   
  
“Damn man, you are really whipped.”  
  
“I’m _what_?”  
  
“Nothing,” Shorter waved his hand at the scowling blond, “I’ll go get us those drinks, that line just keeps getting longer.” With that, he ran off towards the refreshment stand.  
  
Deciding to join Eiji, Ash wandered over to the fountain, his hands stuffed in his coat pockets to keep them warm. The brunette was now sitting on a bench with his camera, which was aimed up at the line of trees. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he pressed the button which released the shutter.    
  
“What are you taking pictures of,” he asked while sitting down next to Eiji. What Ash wasn’t expecting was Eiji to turn and quickly take a photograph of him.  
  
“I take pictures of things I think are beautiful,” Eiji lowered the camera and smiled at him. His deep brown eyes began to take on a caramel hue as a red flush took over his cheeks. Ash had to stop himself from reaching out to touch him, his chest aching.   
  
“You should let me take a picture of you, then,” the words escaped from his mouth before he had time to stop them.   
  
They were both silent for a moment before Eiji started to laugh, the sound clear and bright. Ash thought back to the polaroid photo sitting heavily in his pocket, and the words that were written on there.   
  
After fiddling with his camera, the brunette put it back over his shoulder and then scooted so he was pressed against Ash’s side, just like this morning.   
  
Ash momentarily tensed as Eiji rested his head on his shoulder. Soon the other boy found his hand, which was still in his coat pocket, and laced their fingers together. They both sat like that for a while, looking out at the people mingling about in the park.   
  
By his slow breathing, Ash figured that the brunette had fallen asleep. He turned to look at the head on his shoulder to find brown eyes looking up at him.   
  
“I love you, Aslan,” Eiji whispered as he squeezed his hand.   
  
Ash felt like he just got hit by a truck. No, getting hit by a truck was better than this feeling. His throat felt dry as he squeezed his eyes shut. In the darkness, he only saw images of Eiji getting hurt or even _dying_ because of him.   
  
“Oh no Aslan, do not cry,” the brunette straightened up, his brown eyes laced with worry.   
  
He could feel the hot tears on his cheeks as looked over at Eiji, who was gently wiping the tears away, but his mind felt numb. Even though the other boy was talking to him, it just sounded like static.   
  
“I’m going to check on Shorter,” he harshly rubbed his sleeve across his face and stood up.  
  
“Let me come with you-"   
  
“No,” he snapped, his voice louder than he wanted it to be. Eiji flinched, a sense of worry prevalent in his features.   
  
“I just need a second,” the blond took a shaky breath and began to take off his scarf to tenderly wrap it around the other boy's neck, “I’ll be right back."  
  
He didn’t even wait for Eiji to respond before running towards refreshment stand.  
  
***   
  
The line for the stand was so long, it wrapped all along the sidewalk and ended over by the rows of trees. There were so many people waiting that it would be challenging to find Shorter, even with his dumb sunglasses and that purple mohawk.   
  
Ash walked along the line, hoping he could find his friend somewhere in this crowd. When he got closer to the front, he began looking off to the sides. _Maybe Shorter had already bought the drinks?_  
  
Looking over by the picnic area, he winced as he saw a familiar head of long dark hair. Even before the person turned, Ash knew it was Yut-Lung. He could feel the anger and frustration rising in his body as he harshly pushed people away to try and reach him. He would pay for what he did to Shorter, even if he had to spill blood in this public park.   
  
“You’re dead,” he spat as he approached the Chinese boy.   
  
“Not really the greeting I was expecting today,” Yut-Lung ran a hand through his hair, “I like that murderous glare though-"   
  
“You are going to fucking pay for what you let happen to Shorter!”  
  
“Woah, what’s going on here?” Shorter suddenly stepped out from the crowded line and walked to stand between them; he was holding a drink container in his left hand.   
  
“Your friend here says he is going to kill me for what I did to you,” Yut-Lung laughed dryly, "so could you please explain what exactly I did to provoke this reaction?”  
  
“Stop acting naive,” Ash reached for his revolver and grimaced when he realized he did not have it. _Hand-to-hand combat it is, then._  
  
Using his back foot to propel himself forward, he tried to land a blow, but Yut-Lung quickly dodged.   
  
“Hey, what the hell are you doing,” Shorter grabbed his right arm and pulled him back.   
  
The blond glared at his opponent to find him nothing short of amused. “Because of you they injected Shorter with that drug,” Ash yelled as he tried to leap forward, but his friend’s firm grip held him back.  
  
“Aslan!” Eiji called as he ran towards them.  
  
“Thank goodness Eiji is here,” Yut-Lung put a hand on his hip and sighed.  
  
“Aslan! Shorter! What happened? I could hear yelling.”  
  
“You need to keep a tighter leash on your boyfriend, Eiji. He just up and attacked me out of nowhere.”  
  
“Aslan,” Eiji gently reached out to put a hand on the blond’s arm.   
  
“I can't excuse what he did to you and Shorter,” he shrugged off Eiji’s hold and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the memories from replaying in his mind. He then felt cold hands cupping his face, pulling him out of his trance.   
  
“I am completely fine, and so is Shorter,” Eiji looked him right in the eyes and smiled, “it was just a dream."  
  
“Yeah, man. I mean Yut-Lung may be an asshole, but I can’t see him hurting anyone,” Shorter put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.    
  
Yut-Lung scoffed, “well it’s good to see that our valedictorian and varsity baseball captain has finally lost his mind.”   
  
_Valedictorian? Baseball captain?_  
  
“I am so very sorry he lashed out at you,” Eiji walked over and bowed, “but he did not mean it, could you please forgive him?”  
  
“Hm, I’ll think about it,” he ran a hand through his long hair as he turned to walk away.   
  
_What was happening? Yut-Lung doesn’t remember kidnapping Shorter and Eiji? Or Dino’s Mansion?_  Ceaseless thoughts swarmed in Ash's mind as the three of them settled on the bench back over by the fountain.   
  
“Man, Aslan, I’m kinda jealous,” Shorter laughed, “you know I’ve wanted to punch Yut-Lung for the longest time.”  
  
A stretch of silence passed between the three of them as Ash stared at his hot chocolate, trying to make sense of whatever this world was. “Am I dead,” he asked quietly.  
  
Eiji frowned and poked his cheek a few times, “you seem quite alive to me.”  
  
“Oh no, Doctor we need to check the patient’s pulse to make sure he is still breathing,” Shorter  playfully grabbed Ash’s arm and put it up to his ear, “I think I do hear something in there.”  
  
“You are right,” Eiji put an ear against the blond’s chest, “I hear a pulse here too."  
  
“So, my diagnosis is that our patient Aslan is, in fact, alive."  
  
The blond swatted them away, “argh, you both would make awful doctors.”   
  
Eiji and Shorter shared a laugh at his expense, they were ridiculous.  
  
“Okay, tell me this, how am I the valedictorian,” Ash looked at the other two boys.   
  
“Well, you are like the smartest person I know, man,” Shorter crossed his arms and nodded.  
  
“And the baseball team captain?"  
  
“Why wouldn’t you be? You have more experience than all of us because you’ve been playing since you were a kid,” his friend lightly punched his arm.  
  
Ash could feel his stomach churning; he hadn’t played baseball since the incident. He vowed he would never play again. _So how?_  
  
As if Eiji could sense his unease, he chimed in to change the topic, “Is Michael’s little league game tonight?”  
  
“Oh, shoot! Eiji you are right.. we gotta go get back to Griffin’s house,” Shorter checked the time on his phone and began chugging his drink.   
  
“Shorter, I do not think it is a good idea to drink a hot beverage so quickly-“  
  
“Nonsense, we gotta hurry anyways. You can take your cup along, and Aslan can answer his own philosophical questions in his mind when we are in the car.”  
  
Neither Ash or Eiji had time to retort before Shorter was dragging them both to the parking lot. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the fluff in this chapter was able to slightly heal your heart from episode 18 :*


	3. Part Three

"I have to run back home before the game, and I'm sure Nadia is wondering where I've been all day," Shorter laughed as the trio stood outside the house.   
  
"Okay we will meet you there tonight," Eiji waved as Shorter walked down towards the road, he gave a thumbs up before jumping into his crappy car.   
  
They both watched as Shorter sped down the road, nearly hitting a parked car, and out of sight.   
  
The sun was low in the sky, and twilight would soon be spreading across Cape Cod. Light from the golden hour illuminated the landscape, adding a slight gold colored hue to the scenery. Ash glanced over at Eiji; his hair looked like it had flecks of gold woven into the dark brown locks. The Japanese boy then turned to smile at him, his shining eyes resembling the color of warm caramel. His nose a rose-colored pink from the cold air.   
  
_He’s beautiful._  
  
“I think we should go inside,” Ash muttered, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat.   
  
“Oh,” Eiji’s face fell as he gripped onto his camera, “are you sure that is a good idea?”   
  
“Why would it not be a good idea?”  
  
The brunette was silent for a moment, uncomfortably shifting back and forth on his heels. “I thought you were worried someone would see us together,” he said quietly.   
  
“Come on,” Ash rolled his eyes and grabbed Eiji’s arm, pulling him towards the front door, “Griff told me I should be bringing you in through the door.”   
  
“Really?” Eiji gasped as his whole face lit up.   
  
“Yes, really,” the blond laughed as he fished out the spare key he figured was still in the planter hung next to the doorway. He opened the door and pushed a hesitant Eiji into the house first.   
  
The front room was dark, the only source of light was streaming in from the windows. His brother must still be over at Max’s house.   
  
“Sorry for intruding,” Eiji said softly as he unlaced his boots and placed them near the entryway.    
  
“How are you intruding,” Ash scoffed, “I let you in here, dummy.”   
  
Eiji stuck his tongue out at him.  
  
_With Griffin away maybe I can search for some clues to figure out what is happening_ , Ash thought to himself.   
  
“I-uh am gonna go to the bathroom,” he turned on the kitchen light and guided Eiji to one of the old wooden chairs, “and you wait here just in case my brother comes back.”  
  
“Oh, okay,” the brunette responded, a tinge of sadness audible in his voice.   
  
Ash hated lying to Eiji, but he _needed_ some answers.

Walking quickly to his old room, he shut the door behind him and leaned against the wall. His bedroom looked the same as it did earlier in the day like someone actually _lived_ in it.  
  
After flipping on the light, he began rummaging through the makeshift bookshelf in search of anything that could tell him what this world was. He scanned the shelf which was jammed full of all the hard and soft cover books he enjoyed reading at the library. Pulling one out, he flipped through the pages to find them annotated with his handwriting, conveying his favorite passages or other insights. With a sigh, he tossed the book to the side and continued looking over the shelves. Nothing else stood out to him, except for a Japanese language textbook.     
  
Taking the book off the shelf, he noticed several pages had been marked. He quickly opened the textbook and saw some of the activities were already completed. Turning to a marked page, he smiled at the little sheet of paper that was inserted.   
  
_Tell me when you know what this says_ , was written out followed by a line of Japanese characters, it was Eiji’s handwriting. Underneath the message, he had already begun translating some of the sentence into English.  
  
Ash smiled sadly, he would love to have Eiji teach him Japanese or even go with him to Japan one day, but he knew that would never happen. He softly closed the textbook and gingerly placed it back on the shelf.  
  
Moving over to the desk, he pulled the drawers open and began to rummage through them. There was nothing but random pencils or pens, a few playbooks, and several loose sheets of paper.   
  
Sighing in frustration, Ash slumped in the desk chair and looked towards the ceiling. Turning his head towards the opposite end of the room, his eyes landed on the plethora of photographs taped to the wall above the dresser along with the many picture frames sitting on top of the wooden wardrobe.   
  
Walking over to get a closer look, he was surprised to find that he barely knew any of the photos. He only recognized a few that showed him and Griff when he was a kid, but a majority of the images looked newer. There was one of him with his brother where they were wearing matching Christmas sweaters and another with two brothers, their father, and Jennifer. Some pictures even showed him and Shorter, a few when they looked to be rough-housing preteens and some more recent.     
  
His breath hitched in his throat when he noticed a majority of the pictures were of him and Eiji. Both of them at some formal event, one where Eiji was hugging him from behind, another where he was lifting the brunette off his feet to embrace him, some of them smiling at the beach, and a larger sized photo of them kissing in Times Square.   
  
Ash picked up a framed photo showing Eiji kissing his cheek while he seemed to be laughing. _He looked so happy in every single picture._  
  
“Is this what my life could have been like,” he said quietly, almost a whisper.    
  
“I like that one, too.”  
  
He nearly jumped when he noticed Eiji was suddenly standing right next to him, the door to his room slightly ajar.   
  
“Shorter took the picture after one of our first dates,” the brunette smiled as he looked at the image fondly.   
  
After taking one last look at the photograph, Ash sighed as he put the frame back on the dresser. I _f only these pictures could be real._  
  
A sudden, piercing headache ripped through his mind, rendering all the sound in the room to static. He squeezed his eyes shut grabbed fistfuls of his hair in an attempt to distract himself from the onslaught of pain. Through the static, he could hear a faint voice calling his name.  
  
"A...sh"   
  
He slowly opened his eyes to look around the room, but everything seemed to be dark and blurred. _That's Eiji's voice._    
  
"Ash..."   
  
He turned to see a faint silhouette, the figure looked as if it was flickering in and out of existence, but Ash knew it was definitely Eiji. His voice, as well as his image, were quickly crackling and fading as he continued to call out his name.     
  
Everything ended as quickly as it happened. The dark hue disappeared, and he was back standing in his old room. Untangling his hands from his hair, Ash could hear Eiji speaking to him, but for some reason, it felt so foreign. Like it wasn't even the Japanese boy talking.  
  
"...and I could not believe—”   
  
"What the hell just happened," the blond snapped.  
  
"What do you mean-"   
  
"Were you calling my name?"   
  
Eiji stared at him for a second before he started to laugh, "I think that baseball hit your head harder than you thought.”   
  
“I, what?”  
  
The Japanese boy’s expression quickly turned serious as he took Ash’s head in his hands, gently turning it to the side to push strands of hair away and feel his scalp. “See, I thought you still had an injury, no wonder you act so strange.”  
  
_No way_  
  
Ash quickly brought a hand up to feel his head to find there was, in fact, a bump there.    
  
“Aslan, you should rest,” Eiji said as he tenderly pushed Ash towards the bed. The blond wanted to argue, but his body seemed to betray him as he laid down on the hard mattress. He felt the bed dip down with the added weight as Eiji sat down next to him and pulled his head into his lap.  
  
Eiji’s fingers carded through his hair as he began to hum a Japanese song softly. There was a fondness in his brown eyes, and Ash couldn’t remember the last time someone looked at him that way. Ash felt a warmth in his chest as he closed his eyes, wishing this small moment could last forever.  
  
_Whenever he was with Eiji, he didn’t feel like a prostitute or a murderer._  
  
“But that is what you are, Ash.”   
  
The blond’s eyes flew open to see the room consumed by darkness once again. His body felt too heavy to move. Looking up at Eiji, he saw the fondness disappear from his eyes, replaced by a bleak, melancholic expression. When the brunette ran his knuckles across his cheek, his hand felt as cold as ice. Warm blood began to pool out of a newly formed wound on Eiji's palm and began to run down his arm. They were both surrounded by shards of glass, which almost seemed to shimmer in the darkness.   
  
“Eiji—" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy early Thanksgiving! Can't wait to be wrecked by episode 20 on turkey day :')


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